[Pack Wars]. The scenario for this duel is that one of your pack members encounters a member of the rival pack. The two must then fight and hold out until reinforcements come. Each round will last for 3 minutes. When the timer runs out, the next member of each pack enter the arena and the timer resets. Eventually, the Alphas enter the fray and after one final showdown, the victor is decided. This scenario is designed to reveal the stronger pack. If your members lose the earlier rounds, you as the Alpha will be at a terrible disadvantage during the final showdown.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! GRAB YOUR SNACKS AND GET COMFORTABLE. WE'LL START THE FIRST ROUND ONCE EACH PACK DECIDES WHO TO SEND," the announcer energetically shouts at the mic.
Brock's side of the arena has a bunch of people with him. Meanwhile, I only have 2 members . As per the rules, the pack with more numbers will match the ones with the least. This ensures fairness and a total show of dominance so there will be no complaints later.
"Alright... who should I send first?" I mutter as I glance between Adresin and Grace.
"Pick me!" Grace says eagerly.
"Are you sure?" I ask.
She nods and says, "Uncle Adresin's a coward so it's better if I go first."
"Hey!" Adresin exclaims.
"Hahaha alright kid. You better show me what you got."
This is good. Grace is half Fey so she should have an advantage when it comes to magic. Now, who's Brock sending?
As I crane my neck to see Grace's opponent, Nifa takes her place at my side.
"Are you sure it's wise to send the child in there?" she asks.
"She'll be fine," I reply. "She doesn't look much but she's the type to get it done."
"..... If you say so," she replies.
What's with that weird pause? I can't understand what she's thinking sometimes.
"OK EVERYONE! THE TWO SIDES HAVE PICKED THEIR FIRST FIGHTER. FROM ALPHA RICHARD'S SIDE, IT'S HIS DAUGHTER, FREYA DEMAIN! IT SEEMS THAT SHE WANTS TO HAVE A HAND IN HER DESTINY. SUCH A NOBLE DESIRE!"
When Grace was announced, the crowd cheers loudly. Some sympathy were mixed in here and there but it was a loud cheer nonetheless.
"ON ALPHA BROCK'S SIDE, WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE GENIUS PLAYBOY OF CAMP SIGMA PHI. IT'S THE ONE AND ONLY SHADOWMANCER, LIAM STETCH!"
*Poof*
A puff of black smoke appears suddenly in the arena. Once it dissipates, it reveals a handsome young man with blonde hair and pointed ears. At first glance, some might mistake him for a pure Elf, but upon closer inspection, his shorter height and slightly dull earlobes point to a Half-elf lineage. He carries himself with the elegance and almost arrogance of someone who knows his beautiful features and unlike the others, he's actually wearing proper ranger clothing.
The ladies in the crowd swoon while some of the guys jeer at him. Quite a bipolar popularity.
"Greetings, m'lady," Liam greets Grace with a slight bow.
Grace curtsies in reply and assumes her stance.
"NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO... LET'S. GET. ROCKING!"
"I'll finish this fast as to not ruin your pretty face," Liam says and disappears in a puff of smoke.
"AND LIAM DOES THE FIRST MOVE! WHERE IS HE NOW? HOW WILL FREYA RESPOND?"
Grace looks about to assess the situation but couldn't find where he is.
*Poof*
Liam appears behind her and swiftly brings down his dagger toward her. In response, Grace pivots her torso and deflects the blade but not before it slightly cuts her.
"AND THE FIRST BLOOD GOES TO LIAM! WILL HE RIDE THIS MOMENTUM TO VICTORY?!"
"Good reaction time," he snickers. "Now let's see how you deal with this."
In an instant, the frequency of his disappearing act increases in speed and intensity. Whenever he appears, Grace manages to barely deflect or dodge but gets cut in the process. I don't understand. With the magical sensitivity, she inherited as a Fey, she should know where he'll appear next by feeling the flux of mana around her. So why is she not counterattacking?
As the battle continues, Grace gets more cut up and the crowd goes wild.
"I knew it..." Nifa mutters under her breath.
"What is it?" I promptly ask.
"The child... she doesn't house any of the four energies within her," she replies.
What...?
The [Four Energies]. The first time I saw them was when I looked at the description of [Divine Mind]
Divine Mind (Mythic): Your mind is able to process information faster than any intelligence (artificial or otherwise). Memory deterioration has been disabled. You are able to detect metaphysical energies (Aura, Mana, Divine, and Primordial).
Except for Mana, the other three are mysteries to me so I asked Adresin about it. This is what he told me:
After <
Mana: A high percentage of the population awaken to this energy. Through spells, this energy can transform into anything. It's a Jack of All Trades when it comes to usefulness.
Aura: It's the second must used energy type in the world. This energy excel at destruction. So much so that if someone awakens to it, they have to be quarantined before they can control it better.
Divine: Pretty self explanatory. Gods are picky so they choose only a few to give this power to. Each god have different perks but all Divine energy users excel at healing and erecting barriers.
Primordial: The most mysterious out of the 4. Instances of awakening to this energy is so rare that not enough data is available to solidly classify this. There are scientific reports that point to it being "a spark of creation made manifest", but they're too vague to be conclusive.
In the New World, these are necessary tools for survival. So much so that when humans discovered that they can't use them, they clawed at fate through their wits and found a way to harness them. Now, Nifa's telling me that Grace can't access that...?
"But she's Half Fey!" I exclaim. "She should be able to use it."
"I agree with Miss Nifa on this one..." Adresin chimes in sheepishly. "It was weird to me how she couldn't feel how strong you were the first time we met. I had my suspicions but seeing how she can only defend herself against Liam, it's clear that she can't use any form of energy."
No way...
Did I make a mistake?
No way... No way...
"But what about that time she teleported us to-"
Nifa then grabs my chin and turns my head towards the ongoing battle.
"Look!" she says annoyedly. "Look without bias and you'll see your folly."
[Divine Mind Activated]
...
Fuck me!
How could I miss this?!
Of course I fucking knew how! I had [Mortality] activated for most of our trip so I only saw Grace through a weakened version of the [Divine Mind]. I saw mana envelop her but I just assumed it was her own. But now that I'm taking a closer look, the aura I've been seeing was actually from her acting suit and the mana I've injected in her in the river! Fucking hell.
"Freya!" I call out to Grace who's starting to look tired.
Fuck!
"Adresin! How much longer until you go in?" I ask.
"A minute left," he replies.
Damn it! I made a mistake and Grace had to pay the price for my stupidity.
I grit my teeth as I count each laceration she receives. As Liam said, he's trying to finish this as fast as he could, but since Grace keeps on dodging and deflecting, he's only cutting her. I know that it's not personal, but I'm remembering exactly where he's cut her so I can return the favor later.
"THIS IS A ONE SIDED MASSACRE! IS FREYA GOING TO DO ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN BE ON THE DEFENSIVE?"
"Little lady, stop deflecting my attacks," Liam says while keeping up his speedy assault. "It's a waste how cut up your skin's gotten."
In response, Grace keeps her composure and continues her defense.
"Look without bias," Nifa repeats while her eyes are glued to the battle.
I follow her gaze and do as she says.
*Pheeewww*
Grace... is... breathing? It's the same breathing technique I did when I was first trying to figure out Nifa's technique. It's rough and choppy, but it's beginning to take shape.
"I don't know what you taught her..." Nifa smirks. "But she has the potential."
"God, damn! Just go down!" Liam screams in frustration as Grace continues to deflect him.
Then, in a moment of slight impatience, Liam swings his blade at her before covering himself in shadow. This is what she's been waiting for!
With one swift motion, Grace grabs Liam's wrist, pulls him in brusquely, and using his collar as leverage, she uses every bit of energy she's been saving up and throws him to the ground with one breath.
*BOOOM*
The ground cracks from where Liam's face hit the ground while dust and debris launch themselves outwards from the force of the impact.
"WHOA! WHAT JUST HAPPENED? LIAM WAS ONE-SIDEDLY PUMMELING FREYA ALL THIS TIME BUT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, HE'S NOW FACE DOWN ON THE GROUND!"
"Wooooooh!" the crowd roars in excitement at the unexpected result.
"Sir Liam..." some of the ladies call out to him with teary eyes.
Drowning to the sound of cheers, Grace collapses to the ground. The mana she's been circulating leaves her body and her stamina's spent. Meanwhile, Liam twitches and slowly props himself up. His face has been mangled quite a bit and some of his teeth are missing. Looking at his current state, the crowd couldn't help but cringe in sympathy.
"WAIT! IT'S NOT OVER FOLKS! WHILE FREYA HAS COLLAPSED, LIAM IS STANDING BACK UP AGAIN! HIS FACE IS ALL RUINED THOUGH. WHAT A WASTE!"
"Haaah... Haaahh... you fucking bitch!" Liam breathes curses at the collapsed girl and inches closer with his dagger drawn. "You ruined my beautiful face! I'll fucking kill you!"
"FREYA IS STILL COLLAPSED ON THE GROUND AND LIAM IS COMING IN FOR THE KILL! THERE'S NO RULE AGAINST THIS BUT ISN'T THIS JUST PLAIN CRIMINAL?!"
The crowd murmurs in horror in anticipation for what's about to happen.
As expected, Liam raises his dagger of pure hate and aims for Grace's face.
"I'll scar you for life, you fucking wench!" he shouts as he drops down the dagger like a guillotine.
*Whoosh*
But just when the blade is inches from Freya's face, a single arrow sends sparks flying as it deflects the metal from harming her. Then, just as Liam looks to see where it came from, his eyes narrow at the second arrow aimed between his forehead.
"Aah!" he whimpers but before the arrow could hit him, a man wearing samurai clothing catches it with his bare hands.
"You have no honor, Liam," the man says and throws the arrow to the ground.
[Healing Cocoon]
After a swift incantation, vines appear from the ground, wraps around Grace, and gently carries her to Adresin who's finally entered the arena. He's sporting an elegant bow with an arrow already nocked in for his next shot.
"Good job, Miss Grace."